Banks, hospitals, government institutions, public institutions and similar entities often employ multi-storage component systems to manage their data. Due to the importance of the data, it can not be lost under any circumstances, for example, due to a hard disk drive failure. FIG. 1 illustrates a prior art system 10 for managing data in a multi-storage component environment. A RAID (redundant array of inexpensive disks) controller 30 manages data sent to and from multiple storage units (not shown) via a host connection 40, connected to a PC or host server 20. The host connection 40 can be of several different types including SCSI (small computer system interface), fibre channel, ethernet and firewire (IEEE standard 1394). The RAID controller 30, available from CMD Technology Inc. of Irvine, Calif., distributes data mathematically over several storage components in a striping arrangement. If one storage component fails to function properly, the RAID controller 30 prevents the loss of data stored on the failed storage component.
FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed view of prior art system 10 for managing data in a multi-storage component environment, excluding the host server 20. A backplane 50 (also referred to as a midplane) is used to connect storage components 60 to RAID controller 30, host connection 40 and power supplies 50. Typically, the host connection 40 is a SCSI or fibre channel type since they allow multiple storage components to be connected to a host server 20, up to 125 storage components for fibre channel and up to 14 storage components in the case of SCSI.
While the SCSI and fibre channel standards support multi-storage system environments, the associated SCSI and fibre channel storage components are four to six times more expensive than the traditional IDE (integrated device electronics) storage components that are used in most PC's. The IDE standard only supports the connection of two IDE storage components, however, and is therefore not ideal for use in a multi-storage component environment.
Serial ATA (advanced technology attachment) is the next generation standard replacement for IDE. Serial ATA storage components are similar in cost to IDE storage components. Due to its low cost, it is desirable to use SATA storage components in a multi-storage component environment. However, serial ATA is a relatively new standard, and therefore serial ATA storage components can not simply be modified to work in a multi-storage component environment. One issue that needs to be considered is defining a mechanical attachment which enables a serial ATA storage component to be mounted and connected in a multi-storage environment. Also, the serial ATA standard requires tight impedance control for on board signal routes and as a result serial ATA storage components can not simply be plugged into a circuit board substrate due to potential distortion.
Some other reasons why serial ATA is being implemented include that it has a low pin count, supports lower operating voltages, higher data transfer rate as compared to IDE and the cables are much thinner/flexible.
Another problem of prior art system 10, unrelated to serial ATA, is that the use of a backplane 50 is not ideal. It tends to be bulky and as a result takes up considerable space. Additionally, since component location is fixed due to the use of plug-in boards, system design is constrained.
Accordingly, what is needed is a method to use serial ATA storage components in a multi-storage component environment that defines an appropriate mechanical attachment without the use of plug-in boards. Additionally, it would be desirable to eliminate the backplane.